Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a view is worth a thousand pictures, handily! And, what does this all have to do with, exactly?! Quality is what we’re talking about and what the implications of view and view quality are on quality of air. And, that’s it? That’s it. So, what are … Read more
So a check of the fine particulate matter in Central Fresno on the evening of Jul. 4, 2020 indicates microscopic specks of soot, chemicals and liquid droplets in air measured 150 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) at 10 p.m. corresponding to a ROAR (Real-time Outdoor Activity Risk) Level 5 reading – meaning Very Unhealthy air. … Read more
In 2014 on American roadways, a total 3.0257 trillion vehicle miles of travel were recorded. Of that amount, 169.83 billion miles that year were tallied in heavy-duty trucks.1 Assuming the calculation is correct, that’s 5.612 percent. In California in 2014, meanwhile, driving miles totaled 332.8572 billion or 11 percent of the 3.0257 trillion total miles … Read more
The below Jun. 15, 2020 press release is from the Sierra Club. Late last week, the Sierra Club and six other environmental groups won an important case involving the County of San Diego’s Climate Action Plan. The opinion explained in detail why the greenhouse gas mitigation measure was unenforceable. In addition to agreeing with the … Read more
“Dedicated high-speed rail dollars kept in the Valley will simply go farther,” the Air Quality Matters blog post of Jun. 14th, showed how $4.2 billion in state rail bonds, in being applied to construction work in California’s San Joaquin Valley, could be a tremendous asset where hiring, stimulating local economies and improving area and state … Read more
This June 16th marks five years since construction on California’s statewide high-speed rail program first began. There are now 4,000 laborers doing bullet-train-related building work in the Golden State’s Central Valley at over three dozen sites. That level of commitment notwithstanding, there are those who think that they know what’s best regarding where yet-unspent dedicated … Read more
Natural gas. It is used to dry our clothes, cook our food, heat our water and warm our homes. All true. But, from an air quality standpoint, how clean-burning or unhealthy are the gas-fired appliances that we use? Many, apparently, just don’t make the grade. As far as unhealthy indoor air quality from natural gas-powered … Read more
The below Jun. 3, 2020 press release is from the University of California at Berkeley. Living near active oil and gas wells may put pregnant people at higher risk of having low birth weight babies, especially in rural areas, finds a new study of birth outcomes in California. The study, funded by the California Air … Read more
By our very nature, we humans are a mobile lot. We move. It’s what we do. But, the act of moving itself should not be confused with doing things and going places; a whole different – and other – ball game. In the span of just a few short months, Americans witnessed miles of travel … Read more
When the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act was authorized in 1976 (also known as the 4R Act) it had been 10 years since the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965, introduced by Congress, passed. Interest seemed strong through the 1980s and ’90s but funding for and forward momentum in this direction failed to … Read more